1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a recording method, recorded matter, an ink jet recording apparatus, and an identification method.
2. Related Art
In recent years, a demand for printed matters having a metallic luster surface formed on a printing surface has increased. The printed matters having a metallic luster surface or a pearl luster surface have a feature in that the reproduction thereof is difficult, in addition to the appearance characteristics due to the luster. For example, it is extremely difficult to copy or reproduce the printed matters having a metallic luster surface using a commercially-available copying machine, printer, or the like because it is difficult to capture image information on the metallic luster surface or the pearl luster surface by optical scanning and a toner or ink capable of reproducing metallic luster or pearl luster is not provided therein.
The metallic luster surface includes a high mirror-like luster surface and a matte luster surface having a matte tone. The glossiness of the metallic luster surfaces is defined by specular glossiness (JIS Z8741 or the like). Even when a former business-use printer and former printing ink, it is difficult to reproduce printing having a high metallic luster in which the 20° specular glossiness exceeds 100%. For such printing, apart from a printer, a foil stamping device using a metallic foil, such as hot stamping or cold stamping, is used. This is a method for pressing a metallic foil against a recording medium having a printing surface with high flatness for printing. Examples of a method for printing having a high metallic luster include a method for vacuum depositing metal to a plastic film having a smooth printing surface and a method for performing printing using metallic pigment ink to a recording medium, and further performing press processing.
For a metallic luster surface having a high metallic luster, a method employing an ink jet recording method has also been proposed. For example, JP-A-2002-179960 discloses a printing technique including applying an ink composition containing, as a pigment, plastic spherical particles whose surface has been coated with metal to a recording medium by an ink jet recording apparatus, and then smoothing the surface by press processing.
Examples of a former method for forming a matte luster surface include a gravure printing method, a screen printing method, and a flexographic printing method using metallic pigment ink. Moreover, a method including forming a pattern on a recording medium beforehand by pressing or the like, and then performing foil stamping printing or thermal transfer printing using a metallic foil is mentioned.
However, the former printing techniques mentioned above have been suitable for forming one metallic luster surface or pearl luster surface having a specific glossiness on a printing surface. Therefore, according to the printing techniques, it has been difficult to form a plurality of metallic luster surfaces or pearl luster surfaces different in glossiness on one target printed matter by a single printing process.
In order to form a plurality of metallic luster surfaces and pearl luster printing surfaces different in glossiness, a former gravure printing method or a former flexographic printing method has been required to change the types of metallic pigment ink and pearl pigment ink for each printing and a former foil stamping method or a former thermal transfer printing method has been required to prepare substances exclusive for use in each printing process, such as a mold for forming irregularities or a printing plate, a roll, etc., to be exchanged. Therefore, in the former methods, printing processes and printing apparatuses tend to be extremely complicated, e.g., a plurality of printing apparatuses are combined in series to sequentially form metallic luster surfaces and pearl luster surfaces or specific printing, roll, etc., are added to the printing apparatuses.
The present inventors have focused attention on the facts that the glossiness of a metallic luster surface changes depending on the arithmetic average roughness (Ra) of the metallic luster surface and the arithmetic average roughness (Ra) can be easily controlled by controlling the used amount of a radiation curable ink composition by an ink jet recording method using the radiation curable ink composition, and thus the invention has been accomplished.